Sandy Scrubby Flatwoods on Rises and Knolls

Description

These are open canopy flatwoods with widely spaced longleaf or slash pines in the canopy and a low shrubby understory dominated by scrub oaks and saw palmetto, often interspersed with areas of barren white sand. The shrub layer is not made entirely up of oaks, with grasses and dwarf shrubs making up a substantial portion of the cover. A variety of forbs may be present as well.

Resilience management

This habitat is maintained with fire return intervals of more than 5 but less than 15 years. This is to provide accurate habitat requirements for the Florida Scrub Jay, a species endemic to this habitat type. This interval would allow for maximum acorn production while preventing the oaks from attaining heights unfavorable to Florida Scrub Jays. This habitat should be allow to burn patchy, with homogeneous burns making the area unsuitable for the Scrub Jay. Patchy burns provide sufficient areas for nesting while also opening the subcanopy to allow the regrowth of oak species, which will eventually provide a new food source.

Dominant plant species

1. slash pine (Pinus elliottii), tree

2. Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa), tree

3. longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), tree

4. sand live oak (Quercus geminata), shrub

5. myrtle oak (Quercus myrtifolia), shrub

6. Chapman oak (Quercus chapmanii), shrub

7. sandhill oak (Quercus inopina), shrub

8. saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), shrub

9. large gallberry (Ilex coriacea), shrub

10. inkberry (Ilex glabra), shrub

11. fetterbush lyonia (Lyonia lucida), shrub

12. rusty staggerbush (Lyonia ferruginea), shrub

13. Beyrich threeawn (Aristida beyrichiana), grass

14. broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus), grass

15. little bluestem (Schizachyrium), grass

Submodel

Description

This state describes the shift of the natural scrubby flatwoods community to a xeric hammock. Xeric hammocks are similar to mesic hammocks characterized by low closed canopy forests dominated by oak species. This community may form when fire has been excluded from the reference community as well as a decrease in hydrology within the system. This allows for the establishment for more xeric species. This community usually forms as small pockets within mesic hammocks and other well drained communities (i.e. scrubby flatwoods vegetation). While more commonly found along ridgelines in the central peninsula, xeric hammocks may be found in this MLRA as a result of extensive drainage and urbanization. A layer of emergent pines may be present, representing the old canopy structure before fire exclusion.

Resilience management

This community is maintained by natural disturbances which maintain vegetative structure and composition. Common natural disturbances which help maintain community composition and structure include wind from storm events which open the canopy to successive growth, ground fires to control the growth of the sub canopy, or infrequently flooding which may kill less flood tolerant species.

Dominant plant species

1. sand live oak (Quercus geminata), tree

2. Chapman oak (Quercus chapmanii), tree

3. turkey oak (Quercus laevis), tree

4. slash pine (Pinus elliottii), tree

5. Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa), tree

6. longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), tree

7. saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), shrub

8. American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), shrub

9. staggerbush (Lyonia), shrub

10. sand live oak (Quercus geminata), shrub

11. Chapman oak (Quercus chapmanii), shrub

12. turkey oak (Quercus laevis), shrub

13. Beyrich threeawn (Aristida beyrichiana), grass

14. beaksedge (Rhynchospora), grass

15. rosette grass (Dichanthelium), grass

16. greenbrier (Smilax), grass

17. airplant (Tillandsia), grass

Submodel

Description

That state describes the native scrubby flatwoods community after it has undergone habitat alteration. This state includes both a degraded and a restored scrubby flatwoods community. Restoration efforts can have been from a slightly mismanaged community such as one with few invasive species, to heavy restoration of reclaiming the natural area after urban development.

Dominant plant species

1. slash pine (Pinus elliottii), tree

2. Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa), tree

3. longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), tree

4. sand live oak (Quercus geminata), tree

5. myrtle oak (Quercus myrtifolia), tree

6. Chapman oak (Quercus chapmanii), tree

Submodel

Description

This state consists of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Non-Native Category 1 Species list . More information on these species list can be found:
https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/63140/file/Florida%E2%80%99s_Pest_Plants.pdf

or by contacting the UF / IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/), the UF / IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas (https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/), or the FWC Invasive Plant Management Section (http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/invasive-plants/).

These species are common in areas where natural processes are interrupted via hydrology or fire regimes. The introduction of these species pose serious threats to endangered and threatened habitats and plants within Florida as they become outcompeted for habitats and nutrients.

Characteristics and indicators

Non-native species include species that exist outside of Florida's native range and introduced to the state by people, weather, or any other means.

Resilience management

This state can be found as a part of any other state and can completely destroy the native habitat if not properly managed. Restoration to natural communities after exotic invasion include practices such as mechanical and chemical removal.

Submodel

Description

The following communities comprise the major land uses in the United States and the land uses receiving the majority of the conservation treatment that address soil, water, air, plant, and animal resources within the USDA.

Characteristics and indicators

These land uses consist of areas that are not completely naturalized (i.e. native habitat) and have been anthropogenically altered for commodity production.

Submodel

Description

These areas include soils that were intentionally and substantially modified by humans for an intended purpose, commonly for terraced agriculture, building support, mining, transportation, and commerce. The alteration is of sufficient magnitude to result in the introduction of a new parent material (human-transported material) or a profound change in the previously existing parent material (human-altered material). They do not include soils modified through standard agricultural practices or formed soils with unintended wind and water erosion. When a soil is on or above an anthropogenic landform or microfeature, it can be definitely be associated with human activity and is assigned to a unique taxa, usually found as an "Urban land complex" within that communities natural soil properties (e.g., Immokalee sand-Urban land complex, 0 to 2 percent slopes).

Characteristics and indicators

Evidence of these areas include soils with manufactured items (e.g. artifacts) present in the profile, human altered-materials (e.g., deeply excavated soil) or human-transported material (e.g., fill), and position on or above anthropogenic landforms (e.g., flood-control levees) and microfeatures (e.g., drainage ditches). Detailed criteria regarding the identification of anthropogenic (artificial) landforms, human-altered materials, and human-transported material are in the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy" (Soil Survey Staff, 2014).

Submodel